Tramway-switch



(No Model.)

S. GOODHUE.

TRAMWAY SWITCH.

110,451,760. Patented May 5,1891.

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UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

SETH GOODHUE, OF VILMOT, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

TRAMWAY-SWITC H SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,760, dated May 5, 1891.

Application filed April l, 1890. Serial No. 346.178. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concer-12.:

Be it known that I, SETH GOODHUE, a citizen Aof the United States, residing in Wilmot, Merrimac county, New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tramway-Switches, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to switches for horserailways, electric railways, and other tramlines, so constructed as to enable the driver of a car to throw the switch as he approaches it, through the medium of instrumentalities on the car and track, and without the necessity of either stopping the car or leaving it. Switches of this character have the switch-` tongue connected to the transversely-movable cam projecting from the road-bed and acted upon by one or more movable projections on the car controlled by a treadle or treadles or other operating device under the control of the driver. To turn in one direction the driver throws down one of the projections sufliciently to bring it into engagement with the transversely-movable cam on the track to throw the switch to the side desired.

My invention provides an improved oonstruction for this purpose, which will be fully hereinafter described.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a plan of a tramway-track providedwith a switch constructed according to my invention and showing the wheels and the shoe-plungers of a car approaching the switch. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the track and car on the line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section in the planes denoted by the lines 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a half plan similar to Fig. l, but showing the act of Vlocking the switch-tongue by the iange of the wheel before the disengagement of the cam projection by the shoe. Fig. is a fragmentary transverse section on the line 5 5 in Fig. l, on a larger scale. Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 6 6 in Fig. l, on a larger scale. Fig. 7 is a plan of the base-plate of the switch removed.

LetA A designate the track-rails of the main and branching tracks, B the switchtongue, and C C the respective cast-metal frogs or base-plates such as are commonly used with tongue-switches for tramwaytracks. The base-plateD (shown separately in Fig. 7) is fastened between the rails, the opposite endsac of its transverse portion being fastened by bolting, riveting, or otherwise to the frogs G C. The portion of the plate extending transversely of the track is trough-shaped, as shown i n the transverse section, Fig. 6, forming a guideway b for a transverse slide E. This slide consists of a plate mounted to slide freely in this troughshaped guideway and connected at one end by a pivot-pin c to a projection d, formed integrally with or fastened to the tongue B, and which projects laterally from it in the manner best shown in Fig. 3. On the middle of the slide is formed a cam projection e, which stands above the top of the trough-shaped guide b and overlaps the latter, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The opposite end portions of the slide are fastened down and protected by cap-plates F F, having external flanges, as best shown in Figs. l and 6. The ends of these cap-plates approaching the middle of the track are formed as straight yshoulders f f, between which the cam projection c may play. When the switch is thrown to either side, the cam projection e is nearer to one shoulder f than to the other.

The base-plate D is formed with flat wings or extensions Dand D2, projecting from it in direction longitudinally of the track on the approaching and receding sides, respectively, of the trough-shaped guideway b. These plates are formed with their upper surfaces very slightly inclined, rising toward their junction with the transverse portion,and joining the latter with their upper surfaces flush with the upper surfaces of the sides of the trough-shaped guides b and with the top surface of the plate E.

The car G is provided with two vertical frames H H, in which slide vertically plungers J J the lower ends of which carry camlike shoes K K', the shape of which in plany is shown in Fig. l. These plungers are pressed up by springs L L', respectively. On the front platform of the car are provided two treadles M and M in convenient position to be depressed vby the foot of the driver. The

plungers of these treadles are connected with the arms m fin', respectively, of two levers N N', the middle portions of which constitute rock-shafts hung in bearings p p underneath IOO vonto the proper track. As soon as the correspondinglever N or N is vibrated, therev by communicating movement to the vcorresponding plunger .I or J and pressing down its cam-shoe K or K. As shown in Figs. 2

and 3, these cam-shoes stand normally above 1 the level of the cam projection e, so that when not pressed down they can pass freely over this cam projection. It will also be seen from Fig. 3 that the outer sides of the camv shoes stand in the same vert-ical longitudinal planes as the shoulders ff, or approximately so, and that each of the cam-shoes is of the same width as the space between the camv projection e and the shoulder f, from which it is at the time the farthest removed. rlhus if the left hand cam-shoe K in Fig. 3 were pressed down it would simply pass freely through the space 7c intervening between the: left-hand shoulder f and the cam projectionf1 e without having any effect upon the switch.

In order to operate the switch, the driver will press down the treadle on the side toward which he wishes the car to turn-that is, if the car is to be switched to the left hand of the two tracks ahead he will depress the left treadle M. shoes come over the plate-extension D, so that the shoe K', which is pressed down, will ride along on this plate-extension, and be guidedv thereby against any vertical movements due to the rocking of the car.

with an anti-friction roller l, which rolls against the surface of the plate. thus en ters into the narrower space 7c between the cam projection e and the nearer shoulder` f, and, being wider than this space, in wedg, ing itself through it it forces the cam pro-` jection c toward the opposite side, thus sliding the plate E and throwing over the switch-` tongue B. By reason of the parallel side sur-- faces of the shoe and the projection e the sliding plate and switch-tongue are held sta-v tionary for an instant before being released by tl1e passage of the shoe beyond the projection, and during this instant the flange of the,

oar-wheel P enters against the tongue, s'o that any ret-urn movement of the latter due to al' rebound or other cause is prevented, and the switch is locked fast until this wheel has passed and the car has been thereby directed Switch has been thus thrown, the driver may release the treadle, whereupon the vsh'oewill rise to its former position. The plate-extension D2 is designed to form a smooth guidingsurface, over which the shoe may travel after clearing the cam projection e and before the driver releases it.

He should do this just as the To facilitate itsv movement over the plate, the shoe is provided The shoe In order to prevent the clogging of the switch-tongue B by dirt which may work into the grooves of the frog C, I construct the latter with lateral holes or openings q q at intervals, as denoted by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, passingbeneath the rail, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5. I also provide the inner flange of the frog with similar holes or openings q. Any dirt, water, or ice which may enter the groove or space within which the switch-tongue plays will thus beled to readily work out through these openings without interfering with the free movement of the switch-tongue.

My invention provides a very simple and inexpensive construction of automatic tramway-switch involving the minimum of mechanical devices or moving parts on the roadbed, and one which operates with great certainty in throwing the 'switchvand requires no extreme nicety of construction vor adjustment of working parts of the road-bed or on the respective cars. Y

The operation of the switch by a wedging or cam shoe en tering between a xed shoulder on one side and amovable cam projection on the other, and by wedging itself through the space thus formed displaces the cam projection until the space becomes wide enough to admit its passage, is a characteristic feature of my invention. To this construction is due the advantage of the avoidance of all lateral Vstrain upon the cam-shoe, this strain being taken up by the lateral shoulder f.

The automatic locking of the switch-tongue by the liange of the wheel I regard as an important feature of my invention. To accomplish this result the cam-shoes K K are arranged at so short a distance in advance of the first pair of wheels relatively to the distance of the cam projection e in advance of the end of the switch -tongue that the respective cam surfaces will come into contact and cease to act upon each other the IOO IIO

instant before the wheel-flange encounters rolonfed to remain in engagement until p c o b after the wheel-liange has passed into engagement with the tongue. The provision of the plate-extension D I also consider' an important feature, inasmuch as it avoids the difficulty which would otherwise arise by reason of the longitudinal rocking or teetering of the car or the varying height of the car above both rails, depending upon whether the car is lightly or heavily laden. In either case the Vcam-shoe K or K is pressed down until it strikes the plate-extension D', which thus forms the bottom guide for the shoe, the latter being held against the surface of the plate bythe yielding pressure of the drivers foot. The correct engagement of the shoe with the shoulders f and cam projection e is thus insured, and all liability of the shoe either jumping over the switch-operating cam or IIS abruptly colliding with the transverse guideways is avoided.

I claim as my invention the following defined novel features, substantially as herein.- before specied, namely:

1. The combination, With a railway track and switch, of a plate fastened transversely between the track-rails and formed with a trough-like guideway, a slide mounted to move in said guideway, connected to the switch-tongue, and formed With a cam projection, and cover-plates fastened to said transverse plate to confine said slidein the guide- Way and constructed at their ends to form reenforcing shoulders on opposite sides Vof the cam projection.

2. The combination, with a railway track and switch having a transversely-movable slide connected to the switch-tongue and formed With a cam projection, of a car, vertical plunger-frames H H carried thereby, plungers J J', working in said frames, cam-shoes K K', mounted at the bottoms of said plungers and adapted for engagement with said cam projection, treadles M M', and levers N N for communicating motion from said treadles to the respective plungers, arranged on longitudinal axes, and having arms m m engaging the respective treadles and n n engaging the respective plungers.

3. The combination, with a'railway track and switch having a transverse guideway, a slide mounted to move in said guideway, connected to the switch-ton gue, and formed with a cam projection, a guiding-plate D on the approaching side of the switch, extending longitudinally of the track, ascending in an incline from the level of the pavement, and terminating in the same plane as the top of the slide, of a car, a vertically-movable camshoe carried by said car, normally elevated sufficiently to pass over said cam projection and adapted when depressed to engage therewith and thrust it laterally, a treadle or equivalent means for communicating motion to said cam-shoe to force it down, and an antifriction roller on the under side of said camshoe to enable it to ride against the surface of said longitudinal plate.

In witness whereof Ihave hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

SETH GOODl-IUE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. FRASER, CHARLES K. FRASER. 

